Michigan Football: Alabama Opener Will Decide Denard Robinson's Heisman Status

The whole country will be watching when Michigan takes on Alabama in Dallas on Sept. 1, and all eyes will be on Denard Robinson as he goes up against a young Alabama defense.

What if he carves them up? How will that influence the country's perception of him?

And what if the Crimson Tide shut him down?

Robinson's Heisman hopes for 2012 could very well linger on this game.

Perception

To much of the country, this game will be bigger than "Michigan vs. Alabama."

Instead, it will be looked at as "SEC vs. Big Ten." We arguably have the best team in the Big Ten going up against the best team in the SEC, and the country will be anxious to see if the Big Ten can win "the big one."

If not, the perception that the Big Ten is slower and less athletic than the SEC will continue. This will obviously hurt Robinson when Heisman talks roll around, because the fact that his team lost this game will probably be the first thing mentioned.

National Relevance

Honestly, Robinson doesn't have to have a good game to be the Heisman front-runner—just as long as his team wins.

As long as he doesn't have a horrible game, the media would likely vault Robinson to the top of their Heisman lists as long as Michigan pulls out a victory.

Fair or not, that's how the media works. Your team's success is just as important as your own individual success.

If Michigan can also get out of Notre Dame on Sept. 22 with a win, the Wolverines would likely be undefeated heading into a late-October showdown with Nebraska. The Wolverines would arguably be the national title favorite, causing Robinson to be the talk of the college football world.

National Title Race

The Heisman winner almost always plays on a team that is at least involved in the national title discussion.

Yes, Robert Griffin III was an exception last year, but that was somewhat rare.

If Michigan beats Alabama, it will easily jump into the Top Five in the polls, possibly landing as high as No. 2.

As long as Michigan is able to stay in the national title hunt all season, Robinson's chances of winning the Heisman will skyrocket. The Wolverines don't have to make the BCS National Championship Game, but they have to at least be in the discussion for all or most of the season.

SEC Dominance

The SEC has had its fair share of Heisman winners over the past few years, but they haven't necessarily dominated the award.

Yes, they have won three of the last five, and two of those three—Mark Ingram and Cam Newton—won a national title in their Heisman years.

The Big Ten hasn't seen a Heisman winner since 2006, and it probably won't this year if Michigan doesn't beat Alabama. Montee Ball will certainly be a candidate, but I don't think Wisconsin will be good enough for him to win the award.

Fair or not, the team you play for has to be exceptionally good, and that's why we've seen an SEC player win the award so many times recently.

Conclusion

The media love to exaggerate and blow things out of proportion, and they might just do that to Robinson's status after this game.

If Michigan wins, they will instantly hype him as the clear-cut front-runner.

If Michigan loses, they probably won't talk about him much unless he tears defenses up the rest of the year.

The Heisman certainly can't be won in September—it can be lost, though.